Falling Sand
by xXGemini14Xx
Summary: The gods are furious. A thousand-year-old sin has denied Atem his right to enter the afterlife and given his queen a one-way ticket to an eternity in hell. The only way to rectify the damage lies within their memories. Memories which they, unfortunately, have no recollection of.
1. Lost in Time

**CHAPTER I:**

 **Lost in Time Yet Their Destinies Intertwine**

\- o - o - o -

 _When I awoke- only darkness greeted me._

 _A state of nothingness that didn't frighten me in the slightest. Rather, I felt something akin to peace- a feeling I had not felt in a long time._

 _ **'Yet why do you weep?'** A voice gently spoke within my mind before I felt tears trickle unknowingly down my cheek._ _That was when my heart had felt it._

 _The clenching pain that came with betrayal._

 ** _'The peace you feel is nothing but an illusion. A lie to misguide you from what you were meant to accomplish.'_**

 _That's right. The promise of freedom in exchange for my life. That was the trap I almost found myself in._

 ** _'Do not accept it. You were not meant to die.'_**

 _This pain within my heart is a fuel to my burning anger. I was not meant to die like this. I was betrayed- forsaken to this world with no one to remember me._

 ** _'Seek her. The one who took away your future.'_**

 _The darkness before me suddenly feels suffocating with those words, as if this place is no longer my solace but a prison._

 _I cannot stay here._

 _ **"Let me out!"** I call out to the darkness, the black nothingness rippling at my cry._

 ** _'Seek her.'_**

 _I struggle with the darkness that threatens to envelope me, trying to reassure me of peace but I will not be fooled. I still deserve to live. I still have something I must accomplish._

 _As if hearing my screams for release, a bright light pierces through the darkness. I feel the darkness around me tremble before they recoiled from the bright presence and I use that as my chance to run towards the light._

 _Towards the life taken from me._

 ** _'Go. Avenge your death.'_**

\- o - o - o -

I had long since known that I did not belong in this time.

From when and where I came from- I didn't know. All I know with certainty was that I had something important to accomplish in this time. What it was, frustratingly, I also did not know. I knew nothing of myself except for those tidbits of information. Even this body did not belong to me, the name Michiru was not mine as was everything this ' _person_ ' owned.

Her parents once told me that they had assumed Michiru was a stillborn. She didn't cry like all the other babies and her chest didn't even rise and fall to indicate a breath of life. The doctors called her a miracle when, after five minutes of trying to revive her, her cheeks began to gain color and the loudest wail erupted from the mouth of such a small baby.

I could not tell her parents the truth though. The truth that ' _Michiru_ ' had indeed died back then and in her place- my soul had taken residence in her empty husk of a body.

But then again, it's not like they would believe me if I told them.

So I grew up feeling misplaced in this world I was thrust in. Everything felt off, the side-effect of knowing that this was not your time. While frustrating, it only felt appropriate that I started out as a baby. Metaphorically and literally, that was what I was going through as my soul adjusted to this time frame.

As years went by, my soul grew to accept the body I lived in. The name Michiru gradually became my second name while I struggled to remember my real one and soon, even her parents had become a second family to me as days went by.

Of course, this lull of normalcy did not deter me from figuring out who I truly was. The moment I was taught the language of this time and world, that was when my thirst for knowledge began to take root. The mystery surrounding my existence fueled me to read as much as I could, even going so far as to isolate myself from other children ' _my_ ' age.

Even if I did try to make friends though, the children didn't seem to like me. ' _My_ ' parents once told me that it had something to do with my eyes. I didn't understand what they were insinuating then until a child cried and told me that I had the eyes of a ' _dead man_ '.

Cold and lifeless.

Children were very sensitive to these emotions and so, much to ' _my_ ' parents' dismay, I decided to refrain from making unnecessary bonds with them.

Books ended up becoming my sole companions in this adventure to locate my true identity. While, in the long run, I became painfully aware that they were just as clueless as to who I was, they still provided good entertainment and knowledge of this world that I enjoyed learning about.

It has been sixteen years since I've inhabited this body and assumed its name ' _Michiru_ '. Six years of searching for my identity and yet- all to no avail. I feel as though I've wasted a quarter of her life achieving nothing and wondered to myself if maybe I was not meant to know who I once was.

Accepting this time as my own- maybe that was what I was meant to do. There were times I believed that to be the only explanation for why I could not remember anything of who I was before. That, maybe, I indeed am Michiru and that I merely suffered from a temporal disconnect to my own time.

Yet, when I come to accept that to be the case, I can't help but hear a voice within my mind that tells me otherwise.

\- o - o - o -

Domino City.

That was the name of the city we were moving to. My father had been promoted quite recently to a high managerial position and had been transferred here, to the company's main branch.

The sudden announcement to move had been my mother's idea, given that she always had a terrible case of separation anxiety whenever father or I were too far from home in extended days due to work (in father's case) or field trips (in my case).

She decided to work in Domino City's museum as their curator for the Egyptology section of the museum after the former curator died of a heart attack. It didn't surprise me that she got hired right away, her past experience as an archeologist carried enough weight in her CV to get her hired.

With my father and mother finally employed and stable within the city, all that was left was getting me into Domino Highschool.

While my prior grades would, no doubt, get me into the school, it was the social life I was leaving behind that bothered my parents. I assured them repeatedly that there wasn't even any friends worth noting that I would miss, considering most of those that I befriended were merely due to the ' _necessity_ ' of having them rather than ' _wishing_ ' for them.

Group projects were easier to accomplish if you knew the right people, after all.

But a new school meant new people... Maybe I can reconsider it this time as thanks for Michiru who let me live her life when she could not.

"Look, Michiru! That's where I'll be working from now on." My mother tried to gain my attention from the shotgun seat of our car, her finger pointing to the huge building we drove by.

I blinked to try and take in the sight but didn't get the chance to due to the speed of the car. All I caught was the brick wall of the museum that had its name engraved on the metal placard.

"Ah, honey! You should've slowed down so she could enjoy the view!" My mother complained when she realized that I didn't see the museum fully.

My father chuckled over the driver's seat at my mother's childish behavior, his eyes alight with mirth from the rear-view mirror. "She'll have plenty of time to see the museum when we settle down. I'm more concerned about touring our new home and to help the movers sort our furnitures."

"You know as well as I do that my brother is already there to handle it. You just want to catch up on the latest episode of that series you're watching!"

"Nothing gets past my wife it seems." Father shook his head, although that smile still didn't leave his lips.

Mother didn't say anything more after that, opting to act like a petulant child by avoiding my father's teasing smile. Of course, their childish argument didn't last long and soon mother forgave him as quickly as one would blink.

Ah, love. Quite an unusual feeling it is.

\- o - o - o -

I could see my uncle's form when we arrived at the apartment complex, his dark wavy hair, almond brown eyes, aquiline nose, thin lips, and tanned skin were almost identical to my mother's if she decided to cross-dress as a guy. Not a surprise there since they're both twins, after all.

He stood by his green pick-up truck, hands crossed while he conversed with one of the movers. He hadn't noticed us until my mother lowered the windows, calling out his name to gain his attention.

He lifted his head at us, flashed us a wide smile, and returned the wave after he finished his conversation with the mover. The moving truck was nowhere to be found when the mover left so it'd only mean that they already finished moving everything into the apartment.

"Yo! You're just in time, Masika." He greeted before turning his eyes to me. "It's been a while isn't it, Michiru. Look at you, you're the spitting image of your mother!"

"She has my eyes you know, Nephi." My father retorted from the driver's seat, my uncle's eyes rolling playfully at him.

"Right. Good for you."

"Nephi!"

"Kidding!" My uncle raised his hands in surrender at my mother's stern call, although the glimmer of mischief in his eyes made it questionable. "I'd like to keep my head thank you very much."

It wasn't a secret that my uncle had a terrible case of being overprotective towards my mother. Being the first one born by a few minutes, he took it upon himself to be the older brother my mother didn't ask for after grandfather had died. I heard from my grandmother that when father visited mother's home to make it official- uncle didn't take it too happily.

Had it not been for father's stubbornness to get uncle to finally accept him into the family then I doubt I'd be sitting here right now.

"I really owe you one, Nephi. I didn't think you'd find an apartment here so quickly."

"Anything for my favorite sister. I even made sure that it's close to Domino High for little Michi here." Uncle puffed his chest with brotherly pride, my mother sighing at his one-sided and over-the-top bragging competition with my father on who is the more reliable man.

"I'm you're only sister, Nephi. Hideo and I are practically married for twenty years so stop it with the competition already." My mother chided to which my uncle glared with feigned hurt at my mother.

My father's smug grin could be seen from the rear-view mirror, the expression not going unnoticed by my uncle who frowned at it.

It looks like it's going to be a long day...

\- o - o - o -

The apartment uncle found for us was just a ten-minute bike away from Domino High as he had promised.

It had about three bedrooms, the master's bedroom, my own room, and a guest room. They each had their own bathrooms, which made me wonder how much the place was due to the luxury of our own privacy.

The other things had yet to be unpacked so my uncle would be staying for the night to help us. I proceeded to my room the moment we made it to our apartment, a spark of excitement going off in me at the thought of what my new room would look like.

New things always piqued my curiosity. Maybe it's because I had gotten used to finding clues about myself that any new information I received felt like it might be a key to unlocking the mystery behind my unusual situation.

To be honest, I still haven't given up on that endeavor even though I've somehow settled easily into Michiru's life. I feel like I owe it to her for giving me this second chance so I do my best to live for both our sake while looking for my real self in the process. I still have a lot of unanswered questions and- while I'm not really in any hurry to solve them- I still think that it's a good way of getting that closure I'm looking for.

I'm not stupid. Somewhere deep within me, it's obvious that getting answers will only lead to an ease of mind and nothing more. I've long since established that my original body has long since been gone and that whether I solved my mystery or not- Michiru's body is already my new home.

Not like I'm complaining. Michiru would've had a wonderful life if she had lived in my place. All I can do is live fully for the both of us.

With that thought in mind, maybe I really should reconsider our parents' suggestion and try to make friends for Michiru and myself...

I sighed at the thought, the prospect daunting for me. Books make it sound easy to do but my experiences from when Michiru was young still haunts me to this day. I just hoped that, since most of the teens are about sixteen or seventeen, then maybe they'd be more willing... Right?

"I'll just wing it, I guess..." I mutter before stopping in front of the door that would lead me to my new room.

While the things I brought over didn't change (like my twin-sized bed, my large bookshelf, and my study desk) I still found it exciting to explore the new room that now belonged to me. It actually had a good view of the outside of the apartment, meaning that my side overlooked the front of the building.

The room also had a pretty big closet for storing my clothes (which is a pity given that I didn't have much to begin with... Maybe a scheduled shopping should be in order) and a wonderful lavender wallpaper to match the white curtains I'd be putting up soon. Next to the closet was the door that led to the bathroom which, upon observation, was quite simplistic in style with only the necessities like a mirror and a sink, a toilet, and a shower area.

"How are you liking your room, Michi?" I heard a voice ask me after I exited the bathroom and found my uncle leaning by the doorway.

"I love it, uncle."

"You make it sound forced, Michi..." My uncle sighed at my underwhelming compliment.

I chuckled at his expression while making my way to my bed. "Mother doesn't want you starting another contest with father. It's her standard procedure or so she tells me."

"Why am I not surprised..." My uncle groaned. "Masika's completely smitten with him!"

"She should be. Otherwise, I wouldn't be here." I chided him the way mother had done a while back, a bit miffed that he really hasn't moved on with holding a grudge against my father for no apparent reason other than he was the one my mother married.

There's a limit to being overprotective but this is just downright smothering for my mother. No wonder she has a love-hate relationship with him everytime he visits.

"Nephi! Come help us move the sofa!" I sighed inwardly in relief when my mother's voice reverberated in the hallway, my uncle perking up at being called for help.

Sometimes I wonder if mother has a sixth sense for these things. It's like she heard me inwardly calling for help with uncle and she swooped in to the rescue. I doubt they needed help with the sofa, after all.

I'm feeling pretty sorry for uncle when he finds out but, then again, he probably deserved it if it means putting him in his place.

With uncle out of my room, I decided to unbox my things and set them in their places (like my high school text books and gadgets). It'd probably take an hour or more since I did have a lot of things that the movers didn't touch.

"Let's get started then." I say to no one in particular as I opened the first box and began to rifle through them.

\- o - o - o -

By the time I finished sorting my stuff, my mother had knocked to announce that lunch was ready.

"Huh, uncle's not joining us?" I couldn't help but ask my mother when I noticed that only three plates were prepared on the table.

"He had an urgent business to take care of in the museum so he won't be back until later. Something about a misplaced specimen of a prehistoric insect." My mother explained with a shrug before we took our seats and began to eat.

"Mmm~ the beef is cooked just right." I complimented after I savored the meat and casted mother a mocking smile. "Let me guess- father's the one who cooked?"

My mother flinched at the obvious observation before she deflated at my father's chuckling. "She tried to help but I didn't want to risk you getting a stomach ache."

"I'm practicing okay!" My mother whined. "It can't be helped that the kitchen hates me!"

"Mah, I'm sure you'll finally cook something edible someday, mother." I giggle before sipping my water, my mother giving me a light glare before sighing.

"I'm glad Nephi isn't here. This is probably the only time he'd actually side with Hideo and I doubt I can take three of you ganging up on me."

Father and I exchanged muffled laughters at mother's expense after she said that- which was a bad idea because it earned us both her ire to which it resulted with father and I having to clean up while she marched off to their room with whatever dignity she had left.

"Oh. I've almost forgotten, Michi." My father called me over after we fixed the dining area. "Your mother was supposed to tell you to do it but it seems that she might have forgotten since we teased her too much." He added with an amused smile before handing me a white envelope.

I flipped the envelope over to scrutinize it and noticed that a name had been written on the back with mother's beautiful handwriting.

 _'Mutou Sugoroku_ '

"There's a game shop not too far from here called ' _Kame Games_ '." My father began. "The old man manning that counter is an old acquaintance of your mother."

"Sugoroku? You mean mother's old mentor back when she was still an archeologist?" I guessed, recalling the middle-aged man that stood next to my mother in one of her older photographs during her trips in Egypt.

He had that _Indiana Jones_ vibe to him, what with the hat and that expression of a man who had gone through dangerous journeys and survived them all. Of course, mother corrected me and said that he was more of a gaming master and a gambler rather than an archeologist.

"But why send me?" I couldn't help but ask. "Why can't she go there herself?"

It was at that point that my father casted me a nervous smile, eyes averting my own questioning ones while he scratched his cheek subconsciously- a sign that he was hiding something.

"Well... They kind of parted ways with a heavy heart so your mother's kind of nervous to see him again personally after all this time."

"Mother and nervous rarely go together. What did she do? Is that man really scary?"

"I'm sure it'll be fine, Michiru. It's been twenty years since then so maybe he's already forgiven her now." My father assured me but I didn't believe him one bit. Mother wouldn't be that desperate to send me on the errand if she believed that twenty years could make Sugoroku forgive her.

But I didn't want to tell my father that. So, in the end, I agreed nonetheless to the request- hoping for once that father's reassurance would really come true.

 **-To be Continued-**


	2. A Sin Within

**Disclaimer: I do not own Yu-gi-oh! and its cast. All I own is my OC!**

\- o - o - o -

 **CHAPTER II:**

 **A Sin Within A Forgotten Memory**

\- o - o - o -

A trip back to Japan was not what Atem had expected after his loss to Yugi in the Ceremonial Battle.

What he expected was to finally see the nostalgic scenery of his life in Egypt that he had long missed when he regained his memories. He longed to be reunited with his old friends and family that he had been parted from on that fateful day. Although parting with Yugi and his new-found friends in this time did bring ache to his heart, Atem knew that it would not be fair to Yugi if he stayed.

While it's true that the boy wouldn't mind that they would continue to share the same body, if it meant that he didn't have to leave, Atem still did not want to burden Yugi with such a life. They've done well so far, yes, but what about their life beyond just dueling?

Yugi still had a future to live. His own dreams and aspirations that Atem too once had when he was alive. Yugi is living his life and Atem has already lived his.

It was his time to go and yet-

Atem tried to recall the words that had been spoken by the disembodied voice that carried authority in it. The divine being that Atem's people revered as their gods.

The words that sealed him in a terrible fate.

\- o - o - o -

 _Atem was ready._

 _Turning his back to them, to the people he fondly called his friends, he lifted his hand to give them a final farewell and accepted his long-awaited peace._

 _"I'll miss them." His eyes glanced to his side and was met with the glistening honey-brown eyes of his beloved._

 _"You could have stayed. You still have a future ahead of you." Atem meant those words from the bottom of his heart. Even though they'd be parted from each other once again for a few more years, he still didn't want to deprive her of the future she still could have._

 _"A future without you is meaningless." She started, biting her lips to control the sob escaping from her mouth as she shook her head. "I've lived my whole life knowing that I did not belong in this time... Something within me was missing and that ache grew even with the company of Yugi and my family."_

 _Atem knew this story very well. She had once confided this to him before._

 _Mutou Meikou was Yugi's cousin from his mother's side. Her parents had died from a plane crash when she was only five, forcing her to move in with her only remaining relative- which was Yugi's mother. Yugi and Meikou were as close as siblings, her overprotectiveness stemming from the trauma she endured of losing her parents._

 _Before Atem regained his memories, he had always been curious about her. She was like the unpredictable currents of the Nile, a storm to be reckoned with yet held the gentleness of a trickling stream. She was fiercely loyal and true to her family and friends, many times she had risked her life to save them even if it meant she'd get hurt in the process._

 _Yet amidst the amazing facade she had put up- Atem had always seen it- the sense of unusual longing in her eyes as if she were never whole even in the company of everyone she loved._

 _It had been only when Atem made himself known that her walls had cracked. As if guided by an invisible string, their fates were far more intertwined than they had believed it to be._

 _When Atem regained his memories... That was when he realized it. Meikou, by some divine twist of fate, was the reincarnation of his queen-_

 _Queen Nephthys._

 _The queen who ruled by his side with undying love for both him and the people of Egypt all those many years ago. An unbreakable wall that, even after Atem's death, carried herself with courage and faith as she continued to rule by Priest Seto's side as his most trusted advisor-_

 _As explained by Ishizu's historical study when they asked her about Nephthys._

 _In the haze of his memories, she shone brightly in them. A vivid fondness that explained why Atem grew an attachment to Meikou._

 _The gods have indeed been kind. To have given him this chance to reunite with her once more. Perhaps it was their way of saying thanks, for the sacrifices he had done to protect the world from the evil that threatened to destroy it thousands of years ago._

 _"Even without my memories..." Meikou whispered, her hand firmly gripping his as if he were her lifeline. "My feelings don't lie. This- with you gone I-,"_

 _He firmly returned her grip, letting her know that there was no need to explain herself. They all made this decision long ago. Even if it was too painful to accept for those they'd leave behind- especially for Yugi whom she had considered like a brother- Meikou had made her choice._

 _She chose Atem over the future she could've had... It would take a lot of lying on Yugi's part to convince his mother that Meikou would soon be no longer part of this world- having chosen to return with Atem to the paradise of reeds that he had long awaited for._

 _Beyond the door brimming with light- only eternal peace awaited them-_

 _Or so he had thought._

 _The moment he had taken his first step, the bright light before him had suddenly becoming electrifying, as if the doorway had been blocked by an electrical fence before rebounding them to the ground ungracefully on their backs._

 _Everyone suddenly scrambled to their side after that, the trance lost as if a strong force had returned them to reality. Atem barely noticed them come to his aid, his gaze remained glued on the light that had denied them._

 _"Are you okay? What the hell happened?" Honda asked them both, unable to comprehend the sight he had witnessed._

 _All of them wore similar looks of confusion as well, all thinking the same thing Honda had thought moments prior. Yugi had done his part, hadn't he? He had defeated Atem and freed the Pharaoh's soul. Atem was free to return to the afterlife and yet why?_

 _Why did the gods deny him entrance?_

 _ **'Unforgivable.'** A voice bellowed, the echo of the voice powerful enough to make the ground beneath them shake. **'The sinner has stained the holy ground of the gods!'**_

 _ **'To walk into the light without knowledge of your sins! Disgraceful.'** Another voice joined in, almost feral like a cat's hiss._

 _"Sins? What sins did I commit?" Tearing himself away from his friends, Atem rose to meet the divine light before him, the light that now pulsed brightly with blinding anger._

 _If there's one thing Atem knew well- it was that angering the gods always led to terrible consequences._

 ** _'You have been judged and your sins deemed forgiven in exchange for the sacrifice you have made, young Pharaoh. Yet, your ignorance will be your downfall. To bring with you a doomed soul to the afterlife - we cannot allow it!'_**

 _"Doomed soul?! What are they yapping about?" Jounouchi yelled in confusion, the only one within the group brave enough to stand his ground before the gods._

 _The collective voices were a cacophony of words too hard to pinpoint and understand, the light pulsing bigger and bigger as if threatening to swallow them whole in its divine rage._

 _ **'Wait-!'** The divine light shimmered brightly at that retort, the voice a mix of deep and high pitches as if two voices resided within that single word. A small speck of light soon separated from the bigger one, the luminous orb standing between Atem and the light that belonged to the collective voices of the gods._

 _ **'His heart was weighed upon the scale! He has been deemed worthy to enter the afterlife as overseen by Ma'at herself.'** The female voice of the small orb spoke, the gentleness in them almost like that of a mother protecting her child._

 _ **'But because of her then he must share her fate.'** And that was enough for Atem's eyes to widen in horror, his head snapping to face Meikou who looked bewildered at the accusation being thrown at her._

 _"The doomed soul- is her?" It was Yugi who had spoken for Atem when no words could leave his lips to ask that question. Everyone's eyes suddenly shifted from the light to Meikou, the attention enough to make the young woman snap._

 _"I-I don't understand! What did I ever do to doom my soul to an eternity of punishment?!"_

 _"Meikou-,"_

 _"What could I have possibly done wrong, Atem? Did I- was I an evil person in my past life?"_

 _To see her eyes nearing tears, searching his own for an answer- Atem couldn't stomach it. He didn't know how to approach her, to calm her and assure her with every fiber of his being that she wasn't evil as the gods judged her to be. In the inner recesses of his memories, Nephthys had been with him since they were children. She was his support, his source of balance whenever the burden of his title as a prince grew too much for him sometimes._

 _She loved Egypt just as much as he did. She swore her life to the kingdom and to him. Even through the passage of time, from the moment he met her again as Meikou, not once did she bear any ill intentions against those around her. So why-_

 _Why was her soul doomed to an eternity of punishment?_

 _ **'In her past, she had conjured an unforgivable spell. A spell to overturn the balance of Ma'at and escape her fate.'** The small ball of light spoke as if reading his mind._

 _"But why? Why would she try to do something like that? Meikou would never do something like that!" Anzu rose as she spoke in disbelief, her voice louder than intended. "You saw her past in Atem's memories! She was every bit of a good person as well when she was Nephthys! So why-," the emotion in Anzu's eyes swam like a torrent, the idea of her friend suffering in hell because of something she didn't know frightening her._

 _ **'Within the eyes of the Pharoah, you see what he sees. It is but a biased observation. She has doomed not only herself but the Pharoah as well by casting that accursed spell.'** The larger light scoffed._

 _' **A spell that not even gods can undo. A dark sorcery that transcends even after a thousand years.'** Another voice from within the looming light spoke, silence reigning in as if suffocating them in an inescapable fate._

 ** _'Her curse was created because of her sin. Unless she repents for it with a ready and genuine heart then neither of you can enter the after life. Ma'at has judged you, young Pharaoh, a blessed soul yet whatever curse your queen has cast has tied you to share her sin.'_**

 _"What is this sin, anyway? If you told us then-,"_

 _ **'Only an earnest heart can ask for forgiveness and be forgiven. The answer you seek lies within the memories she threw away as payment for the curse.'** The small orb cut Jounouchi off, its light hovering before Atem and Meikou in a warm fluttering dance._

 _"Memories? But I- How do I recall them?" Meikou asked, adjusting herself so that she kneeled before the smaller light. "All I know is that I've been missing something my whole life. An ache in me that yearns to be whole. Is that the clue?"_

 _ **'Sinful child,'** Meikou cowered at the name given to her, the tone similar to that of disappointed parent, **'you have stained the sanctity and order of this world. A heart tainted cannot enter the afterlife and yet you are given another chance. In a way- you have been manipulated and, for that, your sins may be overlooked if you are truly earnest in your repentance. This is a chance to undo your mistake so that you may free those whom you've tormented into a millennia of purgatory.'** The orb backs away from them after this and returns to the bigger light._

 ** _'The sin you committed has doomed both yourself and another to forever walk the plane of mortals. A repetitive cycle of rebirth without judgement.'_**

 ** _'Seek the soul whose life has been protected by the presence of Sekhmet. A millennia of rebirth without the blessing of Osiris has torn their memories apart, sharing in your fate without knowing who they are yet knowing they do not belong.'_**

 ** _'Connected by fate, from their lost memories a piece of the truth will be recalled.'_**

 _At this, the light started to turn faint. The room beginning to shake as the door to the afterlife began to close._

 _ **'In the Temple of Ma'at, two hearts will be judged before the presence of Pharaohs and Queens once passed. Free of the curse, the truth sealed will be laid bare. You are given only a year. Seek the torn soul and reclaim your memories...'** Were their final words before the light vanished as the doors closed shut once again._

\- o - o - o -

"The temple of Ma'at... Do you know anything about that, Atem? Or what about this torn soul they spoke of?" It was Honda who had finally decided to break the silence permeating between the quiet group.

They were back on the private ship Ishizu and Malik had rented, the morning air cold and salty as they all sat quietly on the deck of the ship.

Anzu and Meikou were together in the latter's room, Anzu volunteering herself to watch over Meikou who still looked shaken from the ordeal that they had gone through just the other day.

"Don't worry, Atem. Anzu will make sure to stay by Meikou's side." Atem snapped back to Yugi who had called him out, Yugi noticing that Atem had yet to contribute anything to the conversation due to the worry eating him up.

Who wouldn't be though? As the gods had said, they had one year to search for Meikou's memories and undo the curse that she had cast when she was Nephthys. That's too short a time and add to the fact that they had to search for the soul who bore Sekhmet's protection? It's enough to put everybody on edge.

The gods didn't say what would become of them assuming they failed. They probably didn't need to since the answer was obvious enough. Meikou would be dragged to an eternity of punishment, her heart to be eaten whole by Ammit without even a chance for redemption.

There's no surprise that Atem would share in her fate. Although a hero and worthy to enter the field of reeds, his soul had been tied to Meikou and her curse... The thought of two important people to him suffering such a fate terrified Yugi.

That's why he would do his best to make sure Atem and Meikou got their well-deserved ending.

"There is an excavation site within the Karnak Temple Complex called the Precinct of Montu. Within that precinct, there is a temple dedicated to the worship of Ma'at." Ishizu's voice broke through the uncomfortable pressure that plagued the silent group, all eyes turning to her after she spoke.

"Although, the term ' _before the presence of Pharoahs and Queens once passed_ ' doesn't fit the temple's description. The temple in Karnak was mostly used to judge tomb raiders by Ramesses IX during his rule."

At this, Ishizu takes her spot beside Otogi, her eyes passing each and everyone of them with a silent stare before landing on Atem's hunched form, the worry evident in his eyes when she regarded him. "Surely, my king, you would know the temple they spoke of?"

"I know of one possible place..." Atem trailed off, his eyes distant as if recalling an old memory. "The _Set Ma'at_... An abandoned village to the west bank of the Nile river."

"The Place of Truth." Ishizu translated with a thoughtful look. "To its north is the Valley of the Kings and the west- the Valley of the Queens. Before the Pharaohs and Queens once passed..."

"But the temple-" Atem's eyes narrowed with frustration, his hands balling into fists at the memory, "I read before, in a papyrus I was studying, that the temple was destroyed long before I was born. Add to a millenia of decay-" He didn't need to finish for them to get the point.

The temple had long since been gone. How was Meikou and the other soul going to be judged if there wasn't an altar for them to be judged upon?

"We will never know unless we try. I can send my men to excavate the site a second time."

Ishizu's assurance of her aid had at least dampened the gloomy atmosphere threatening to swallow them whole. It's only been a day, Yugi thought to himself. It's true that their time to fulfill the task at hand was limited to only a year but that didn't mean that it was impossible to achieve.

They've all gone through so much, after all. Just like all the mysteries and dangers they encountered, Yugi believed they would get out of this predicament too.

"Wallowing in despair will get us nowhere." Suguroku spoke as he stood from where he sat next to Bakura, eyeing both his grandson and Atem with a faint smile. "Have hope. We'll all be in Japan soon. Take a rest to clear your minds."

 **-Michiru's PoV-**

"Closed?" I read the sign aloud just as the thunder roared from the darkening sky.

Squinting my eyes to make out anything from the game shop's window-paned door, I could see a shelf filled with what appeared to be card packs. There was also a large poster with the words 'Duel Monsters' and anything probably related to that tapered on the back of the cashier, some words barely legible since the sky began to darken and obscure my sight.

Nobody seemed to be answering the doorbell from the side door as well, meaning that everyone living here was probably out.

I couldn't afford to wait if anybody would be back, seeing as the weather was turning sour, so I decided to return the envelope inside my messenger bag and opted to head back home before the rain caught up to me.

While I am a bit relieved that Mutou Suguroku wasn't home, if it meant giving me time to prepare myself before the man my mother cowered from, there was still that slight disappointment that came when I realized that I couldn't peruse his stash of card packs that were tempting me from the shelves.

Duel Monsters was a TCG recently created by Pegasus J. Crawford that was taking the gaming industry by storm. I saw a lot of my classmates playing the game during lunchbreak back in my old school and it was also the talk of the town when the Battle City at Domino City was announced a few months prior.

Normally, I barely touched upon subjects that didn't contribute to the search for my identity. Such was the case with Duel Monsters at first when I deemed it nothing more but a passing fad I wouldn't delve deeper into.

Oh how wrong I was.

The moment I had picked up a card, I had become quickly enamored by it. Every rule had been meticulously studied and every card scrutinized.

There was just something about the game that called to me.

Like a faint whisper that beckoned me- inviting me.

An invitation to a battle it knows I can't resist.

I sighed at the thought before turning away from the game shop to head home. The thrill of a duel. That was what called me and yet, to my dismay, I actually didn't do well in the game.

I may have the obsession but never the strategy to play it myself.

But that didn't deter me from trying.

Maybe it's time for me to revise my deck again. Seeing as I will probably be meeting Suguroku tomorrow (hopefully I'll be ready this time) that would mean that the shop would be open. I can check out the card packs by then and start building a new deck from it.

"That sounds like a good plan."

 **-To Be Continued-**


	3. Unintentional Accidents

**Disclaimer: I do not own Yu-gi-oh! and its cast. All I own is my OC!**

\- o - o - o -

 **CHAPTER III:**

 **Unintentional Accidents Move The Gears Of Fate**

\- o - o - o -

"Someone looks like they're in a hurry today." My father commented when he saw me tying my shoes and then abruptly standing to grab an umbrella from the rack by the door.

The day hadn't graced us with a fine morning, the sky deeming it the perfect opportunity to release a light drizzle instead. While the prospect of staying at home and preparing for the upcoming entrance exam tomorrow would be the more important thing in my agenda, a part in me still begged to return to that game shop and rebuild my deck.

Most people call it procrastinating but I'm pretty sure I can handle the exam they would be giving me. I've been studying the possible contents of the exam the moment mother decided that we would be moving to Domino City, after all. That's three months of studying, something no normal teen my age could even stomach to do.

The books I've compiled for it are just repeating the same problems, to be honest. It's become repetitive to the point that I've memorized most of the techniques for each question that would be asked. I'm pretty sure I deserve at least a day to rest before the exam.

"I'm meeting mother at the museum at 1pm. It's obvious that she's still avoiding Mutou Suguroku so I'll be doing the delivery before I head on over to see her."

"That's a surprise. If memory serves me right, you were just as reluctant as your mother when I asked you to do the errand."

I turn red from embarrassment at my father's remark, my expression obviously not going unnoticed when I saw his lips tug up in a teasing manner.

"He owns a card shop." I sighed in defeat, my father's smile erupting into a chuckle before patting me on the head.

"Should've known. Besides bookstores, card shops also seem to pique your interest whenever we went on outings."

I shrugged his hand off with a frown, knowing well that his teasing had hit a bull's-eye. My father raised his hand in mock surrender, the laughter never seeming to leave his eyes when he did so.

"Alright. I'll stop the teasing. You and Masika make it so easy sometimes that I tend to overdo it."

I really am my mother's daughter. While it's true that father has a terrible streak of teasing us, mother and I just can't seem to stay mad at him for long.

"I'm off now." I finally decide to say, giving my father a quick hug for goodbye before dashing out the door.

"I'm leaving the food in the microwave, Michi! Make sure your mother eats dinner, alright."

"Sure!" I quickly waved at my father before turning to the corner that led to the stairs.

\- o - o - o -

The light drizzle had turned into a downpour by the time I made it to Kame Game.

The soft jingle of the store's doorbell resounded in the small shop when I entered, my eyes excitedly perusing each shelf with fascination while I put away my umbrella at the rack by the side of the store's entrance.

"Welcome!" A woman greeted me from the counter's area, her smile welcoming to which I returned the gesture with my own.

"I'm looking for Mutou Suguroku. I'm here to deliver to him a letter." I explained my visit before taking out the envelope with Suguroku's name on it. "I'm the daughter of an old acquaintance of his."

"My father-in-law is upstairs arranging his things at the moment. He'll be down here in a few minutes so take your time to look around while I call him over."

"Don't mind if I do." I nod with a smile before watching her walk to the back door of the shop.

My eyes returned to the shelves after the woman had left, my nerves already preparing themselves to meet this man that made my mother cower to even see him. Although, it is surprising that Suguroku had a daughter-in-law... I thought for sure he'd be the type to never really settle down.

Mother's stories made me think that he was some sort of adventurer that never stayed in one place, his wanderlust having taken him nearly around the world to challenge the games presented to him.

The chiming of the shop's bell made me look away from the shelves I had been inspecting, my eyes landing on a woman with piercing blue eyes. Her features reminded me of my mother's- hair dark as night and skin kissed by the harsh rays of desert sun.

She must be from the middle-eastern part of the country.

"Excuse me, but where may I inquire as to the whereabouts of Mutou Yugi?" She asked me, her terms taking me by surprise due to their formality.

I didn't have the chance to reply though (thankfully) when the sound of footsteps echoed behind us, my body turning to see a face that nearly made me choke on my own spit.

When the woman had meant Mutou Yugi- I didn't think she meant **_the_** ' _King of Games_ ' Mutou Yugi.

It was really him- in the flesh.

I had suddenly felt ten times conscious now. I mean, who wouldn't be. He was on every page of the gaming magazines ever since he won against Pegasus and easily conquered the Battle City Tournament not too long ago.

I had always admired his style of dueling whenever I got the chance to watch his matches during the Battle City Tournament on TV. It was like the cards responded well to him, always appearing at the right moment he needed them. He had an air of confidence in him whenever he was in the dueling ring- as if he was a different person altogether.

He looked like an unreachable star to a casual duelist like me and yet- even though I knew that he lived here in Domino City- I didn't think that fate would be so kind as to bless me with meeting him.

It really is a small world.

"Ah, Ishizu-san! Everyone's upstairs already." Yugi nodded to the woman, my presence almost hidden since I deliberately placed myself by the corner of the shop due to nervousness.

"Huh? He didn't come with you? What about the meeting?" Yugi added, his brows furrowing in confusion as if expecting someone else besides the woman named Ishizu.

Ishizu shook her head at his query, a knowing look in her eyes as she spoke. "He needed some time alone. He suggested we go ahead and fill him in when he returns..."

Yugi slouched in a dejected manner at this announcement. "Oh... Alright. I'll let them know." He sighed before gesturing to the back room he came out from.

"Everyone's upstairs. We'll let them know what he said.

"Very well. Then allow me to move on ahead." She dipped her head slightly in a poised acknowledgement before her gaze briefly fell to me, prompting me to freeze like a deer caught in headlights when Yugi followed her stare.

"Oh! I didn't notice that there was a customer," he chuckled embarrassingly, his prior dampened mood easily overtaken by a slightly more cheerful demeanor. "You can go ahead, Ishizu-san. I'll just finish this up." He added to the woman before she disappeared into the back of the shop, leaving me alone with the King of Games himself.

"Anything we can help you with, miss?" It was Yugi who started the conversation, prompting me to nearly jump out of my skin from the surprise question he threw at me.

"I-," I gulped. How does one even approach this? My lack of proper friends had denied me the ability to properly hold a conversation without letting it turn into an awkward one.

Spontaneous conversations were never my thing. Even when it came to vendors or the occasional sales lady, I always made sure I readied my desired purchases before even daring to speak to them. That's why they always made me uncomfortable whenever they hovered over me while suggesting that I should buy every shirt I decide to examine.

Only family members seemed to be excused from this though but that's only because they've seen every embarrassing side of me that I know they'd love me regardless of it.

Strangers, especially those whom I wanted to leave a good first impression, were always the ones that made me nervous.

"You're looking for cards, right?" Yugi's question snapped me back to reality, my eyes refocusing to see him smiling patiently while waiting for me to reply.

When I had first watched Kaiba Seto duel, he had an air about him that showed he was an exceptional duelist backed up with overwhelming arrogance. All of his opponents were nothing but insects he took pride in disposing of, rendering them incapable of ever picking up a card again.

At first, I believed that only Seto had exhibited such a characteristic but then there also came Bandit Keith, Insector Haga, and Dinosaur Ryuzaki- all of whom won prestigious awards and had arrogance to back it up as well. It was what made me believe that they were all unattainable beings we could never hope to walk side-by-side with and yet-

Here before me was the King of them all- a welcoming and humble presence compared to his fellow duelists.

"Y-yes, I am looking for cards, no, I mean I also have an errand and-," I stopped talking to prevent making a fool of myself further, my lips trembling to an embarrassed frown at my terrible first impression in front of Yugi himself.

"Take your time. The shop's open until seven in the evening so I can wait."

Once again, his reassuring words seem to ease my nervousness, allowing me to muster a sheepish smile.

"I-I'm sorry. I'm not very good with conversations... I came here because of an errand but, well-" I paused again to regain my bearings when I realized I was rambling and then continued calmly, "I also wanted to buy some cards for my deck as well..."

"An errand? Oh, you must be the one my mother was talking about." I was inwardly thankful that Yugi chose that question to ask, considering that I had yet to choose a card pack and him asking for what I like from the packs they sold felt too embarrassing to admit.

I didn't want him to judge my choices when I wasn't ready to receive the criticism, so I really am grateful that he opted to ask about the errand first.

"Y-Yes, the one and only. My mother told me to give this letter to a Mutou Suguroku. She's an old friend of his during her stay in Egypt." I tried to rifle for the envelope in my messenger bag only to end up pulling not only the envelope but my deck as well.

I never got the chance to buy a holder for my deck, considering I never played in a competitive match and opted instead to collect them, so my cards had been neatly stacked and held together by a flimsy rubber band. The same rubber band that decided to be useless at the inopportune moment and had sent my cards scattering on the floor and in front of Yugi of all people.

I've been told that you could tell a lot about a duelist by how they treat their cards. It is also said that regardless of skill, the moment one has owned even a single card, one can have the right to call themselves a duelist... So long as they know how to respect the cards they consider their allies.

A deck without a holder and secured only by a thin rubber band will really cause a terrible first impression...

"I-I'm sorry!" I hastily apologized before immediately getting down on my knees to collect my scattered cards. "I was also hoping to buy it a holder but never got the chance since the card shop back at our old home was a city away and-,"

"N-no, it's fine." Yugi assured me again when he knelt to help me pick up my cards, another surprising observation given I'd have expected him to reprimand me for putting my cards in such a terrible condition.

"Y-you're not mad?" I asked and winced when I realized that I had spoken that out loud.

Yugi's eyes widened with surprise at my question before a chuckle unlike anything I've heard of resounded within the shop. The closest I could describe it was that it was mellow, almost kind, and very warm. Not an ounce of a mocking tone in them, a genuine laugh that described its owner very well.

"Why would I be mad? I have friends who don't have holders for their deck but treat it with the same care." He admitted before picking up a card and handing it to me. "The cards you have all look to be well taken care of. Even without a holder, you obviously make sure that they aren't affected by the wear and tear. The edges of your cards are barely damaged and the cards themselves have little to no creases at all."

I...didn't think of it that way. I always assumed that without a holder, people were always quick to judge, the same way duelists usually looked down upon shuffling their cards using the riffle or dovetail shuffle. I didn't expect Yugi to actually assure me that he didn't think of me any less of a duelist because I didn't have a holder for my cards.

"I... Um-," I wanted to thank him for saying such nice things, and maybe ask for an apology since I did misjudge him, but never got to when a voice echoed from the back of the shop that I had now assumed led to Yugi's house.

"Yugi? Everyone's looking for you." The voice called out, a timid tone that would've been easily missed if it weren't for the fact that I was the only one currently in the shop.

Wavy reddish-purple hair that bordered near magenta tumbled elegantly in thick volumes until the small of her back, her honey-brown eyes were doe-like and innocent, matching her oval yet petite face as if she were a porcelain doll.

She was dressed in a simple pastel teal short-sleeved dress that reached below her knees, the color accentuating her almost pale skin in the brightly lit shop. She was peeking by the doorway, hesitantly observing us from her position.

"Sorry, Meikou." Yugi apologized to the woman named Meikou. "I'm still helping the customer so maybe the others can start without me?" He added, prompting me to widen my eyes at what he had just said.

"N-no need!" I blurted out, both of them shifting their attention to me. "I mean, I can come back tomorrow. We live nearby so I don't want to keep you waiting."

"Eh? Are you sure? I mean, we have the whole day so I'm positive they can wait-,"

"I'm positive." This time it was my turn to assure him that it was time for me to go. "B-besides, I originally came here to give the envelope to Mutou Suguroku. I'm supposed to meet my mother at the museum at 1pm and it's already 12:30-," I elaborated before hastily thanking Yugi when I took the remaining cards from his hands. I carefully wrapped them inside my handkerchief this time before returning them in my bag.

"I-I don't want to impose so I'm going now," I bowed and handed the envelope to Yugi. "I'll be sure to stop by tomorrow in the afternoon." I promise him before quickly backing away to take my umbrella.

I got too carried away. Of course Yugi would be very busy, being the King of Games, and all. I had almost forgotten his prior conversation with the woman who called herself Ishizu... Apparently they were waiting for her and another person before I had intervened.

His mother probably assumed that Yugi would be quick since I did explain that I'm merely here to give the envelope. That's probably why they sent the girl named Meikou down...

His kindness and patience is really something. To actually take the time to help me, a complete stranger, when he knows people are waiting for him- that's why I couldn't afford to trouble him any further.

"I-If you'll excuse me." I bowed for the nth time that day before opening my umbrella and exiting the shop, making sure that the blush from embarrassment creeping up my neck wasn't noticed by Yugi and Meikou.

 **-3rd Person PoV-**

"Who was that, Yugi?" Meikou asked her cousin after watching the woman that had dash out of the shop in a hurried manner.

"A customer, supposedly." Yugi answered, his eyes never leaving the shop's door from where she left.

"Supposedly?"

"She was only ' _supposed_ ' to deliver a letter to grandpa but had thought about buying a holder and a few card packs when she came here." Yugi explained before returning his gaze back to his cousin with a smile, "I guess it's time for us to head on up then. I'm pretty sure I've kept them waiting."

"Jounouchi and Honda were getting pretty riled up in a game they were playing from your collection. Anzu begged me to come and get you before they embarrass themselves further in front of Ishizu-san..."

"Meikou?" Yugi prodded his cousin when he noticed she had trailed off, the look of defeat slowly encroaching her once optimistic eyes.

"Ishizu-san also told me about Atem..."

It seems that Anzu's pep talk hadn't gotten through to her after all, the guilt of what the gods had told them weighing her down into an abyss of self-loathing. She had even gone so far as to avoid Atem ever since that day, the Pharaoh practically torn at how to approach her.

Maybe that's why Atem couldn't bring himself to come back and join the meeting. He must have assumed that since Meikou wasn't speaking to him, then it meant that he had done something wrong.

If only he had spoken to her, then he'd realize what was really wrong. Yugi didn't have the right to tell it to Atem what Meikou was feeling, that conversation was reserved to the both of them. It was a problem they both had to resolve between themselves. That is, if only they could set aside their own self-deprecating moments and actually talk it out for once.

"I'm sorry." Meikou admitted in a form of a mumbled apology. "All I ever seem to do is trouble those around me. First with my parents and then that time when Marik used me, Jounouchi and Anzu as a leverage against you and Atem...

"I know how much it pained you. The thought of both Atem and I leaving. I chose him and the afterlife over you and the future." Meikou hugged herself, unable to face her own cousin in the eyes. The very cousin whose family took her in when she lost hers. The same cousin whom she considered like her own brother.

The kindness he and his friends offered her even after she chose to walk away from them- she didn't deserve that. Meikou was always the optimistic one of their group - that's why she and Anzu got along - but, right now, after hearing what she had done in her past life as Nephthys, Meikou knew that not even her positivity could save her from this inescapable fate she pulled herself and Atem into.

"Even after all that...I'm so sorry, Yugi. I-," when Yugi had stopped her by placing his hand gently over her shoulder, Meikou knew the tears would fall.

He had always been too forgiving.

"Maybe I had been too selfish..." Yugi admitted after a bout of silence, Meikou's eyes widening a bit at his unusual declaration.

Him? Selfish? Yugi was anything but that. He had always been the one who sacrificed the most even before all this. Giving Jounouchi his star chip so that he could participate in the Duelist Kingdom, giving him the money so Jounouchi could use it to get Shizuka's eyes operated on, and many more. In the journeys they've gone through, he even chose to risk his life to save Atem when the seal of Orichalcos tried to take their souls... He was the epitome of selfless and for him to call himself selfish didn't sit well with Meikou.

"Yugi-,"

"When you and Atem were leaving... A part of me wished too hard that it didn't have to happen." Yugi shook his head to stop Meikou after he spoke, knowing well what his cousin was thinking. He sometimes wondered why people put him on such a high pedestal. He was human too after all and, like every human being, was capable of making mistakes.

"Maybe I've been pushing my luck far too many times... I guess this time they weren't going to make my wish come true unless it came with consequences." Yugi smiled sadly. "I just... I didn't want it to end yet... Even though it had to happen. Even though it was time for you both to go... I thought to myself that it just felt too soon to let go."

"We really are cousins." Meikou sniffed, wiping her tears away before flashing him a somber smile.

The silent stare between the two relatives carried with it their intended words. Unspoken though it was, they knew deep inside them what each wanted to convey.

"You know Atem deserves to know this too, right?" The mention of the Pharaoh's name was enough to make Meikou freeze, her eyes turning away from her cousin's form.

"I wish I could tell him but-," the words never left her mouth when her eyes noticed something on the ground behind her cousin.

"Is that- a card?" she couldn't help but say, her cousin following her gaze to see a face-down duel monsters card on the ground near the shop's entrance.

Yugi recalled the customer who had accidentally spilled her cards on the ground, his brows furrowing with worry when he approached the fallen card. "This isn't good. She must've forgotten it when she hurriedly left the shop."

"Although, she did mention that she would return tomorrow..." Yugi trailed off before picking up the card, his body growing rigid with shock after he had flipped the card over.

Meikou noticed that her cousin had frozen on the spot, curiosity getting the best of her when she decided to approach him.

"Yugi what's wro-," she never finished her sentence when her eyes landed on the card her cousin held, color draining from her face at the golden eyes of the monster that glared at them with a ferocity of a warrior.

The monster in the picture was that of a woman, or rather, a half-human- the head taking the form of a fierce lioness that wore a nemes crown with a sun disc upon her head. She was dressed in a sleeveless blood-red linen dress that hugged her figure and reached until the ground like flowing lava. A gold mankhet lined with carnelian gems hung beneath her shoulder blades while a gold rope and a black sash was tied loosely around her waist. Her hands were raised up until her shoulders, the right grasping a scepter made of papyrus while the other held the ankh of life.

"That card-," Meikou couldn't help but shudder, her lungs tightening as if the card itself thrummed with a powerful force that could crush her with a snap.

Yugi couldn't speak when he stared at the card in his hands, his mind still reeling from the shock that came when he held the very card the gods had reminded them of. Could it be-

Could that woman be the one the gods spoke of?

They were given a year. They expected that the time limit given to them was too short to find a lone soul amidst billions of people. Yet, by some frightening twist of fate, here was their clue and it had only been a few days since the Ceremonial Battle.

It was too easy, how convenient it was for them to have met the soul so soon. Yugi felt like he might be dreaming. He was ready to believe that to be the case but the card's warmth upon his hand told him otherwise.

Daring to scrutinize the card, Yugi glanced up to read the name- the inked words forever tattooing itself into his memory.

 _'Lady of the Flame, Sekhmet'_

 **-To Be Continued-**


	4. Unexpected Meetings

**Disclaimer: I do not own Yu-gi-oh! and its cast. All I own is my OC!**

\- o - o - o -

 **CHAPTER IV:**

 **Unexpected Meetings Bear Mixed Feelings**

\- o - o - o -

Domino City Museum looked like it was a mix of classical Greek architecture with a touch of modernism.

The main building had a portico that resembled those of the Greek Parthenon, the columns adopting a doric-style of design. The other buildings surrounding though were more modern in appearance, the styles resembling those of a typical Japanese University.

The place also had a nice view to it. The trees that surrounded the museum served as shades for tourists and art students alike- several of such students were lost in their own world as they sketched to their heart's content.

Flowers of different variety bloomed brightly from the bushes where they grew, their faint scent wafting past my nose in a dance of nature's natural perfume. It looked like today was a busy day for the museum too, my eyes catching the sight of a dozen buses filled with students ready to alight.

No wonder mother was so keen on me seeing the museum when we passed by it the other day.

The place had life to it, to be honest. I've been to a lot of museums thanks to mother and uncle's jobs yet none was as vibrant and intriguing as Domino City's museum.

"Yo, Michi! Over here." I shifted my eyes to the grand stairs of the museum and saw my uncle waving at me from the entrance.

He was dressed rather informally today, a plain light blue collared shirt matched with khaki shorts that reached until his knees. It's like he had just gotten back from a dig even though he never really left the museum.

"The museum's pretty busy today." I commented when I finally reached him; my hands adjusting my messenger bag before we proceeded to walk into the museum.

"The Egyptian Exhibit received a new set of artifacts yesterday. Apparently, they had something to do with that card game that's becoming the talk of the town." My uncle elaborated, my ears perking up when his explanation caught my attention.

"What are those artifacts then? I'm sure mother would have mentioned it yesterday yet I've only heard of it just now."

"They aren't much. Just a thousand-year-old khopesh and a long stone slab with the monsters on them." My uncle shrugged after we entered the atrium of the museum.

The center of the museum was humongous; several pillars lining each wall an an almost octagonal shape that reached until the ceiling. You could see the shape of the Parthenon's roof when you glance up, allowing you the experience of seeing what the Greeks saw when they entered a sacred temple during their time.

Each pillar had faux lights that resembled torches while banners showcasing the different sections of the museum fluttered like tapestry on each pillar. A lone circular desk was in the center of the atrium, behind it were several pathways that probably led to the different exhibits of the museum.

"The Egyptian exhibit is over there at the last hallway to the left. Of course, we're heading to the second floor offices to see your mother first before we head on over to the popular stone slab everyone's been talking about." My uncle led me to the opposite way of the said exhibit, my eyes never leaving the hallway that led to the slab he spoke of.

If my guess is true, then it'd really be no surprise why every duelist would want to see that slab. I didn't even know that Pegasus had based the game over such an artifact if that were the case.

Creativity always had its muse, I just didn't think Pegasus would find it in the hot deserts of an ancient civilization.

\- o - o - o -

Atem's stoic facade hid well the tempest in his heart.

Even the Egyptian artifacts that Ishizu and Marik ordered over did nothing to quell the turmoil churning within him. Atem only ended up looking away from the mix of pictures and words on the papyrus, his sun-kissed hands rubbing his hair in frustration.

Meikou, ever since the Ceremonial Battle, had ended up shutting him out. Under the guise of smiles and simple nods, Atem knew they were nothing but pretenses to hide the fear and overwhelming guilt reflected in her eyes.

Atem wanted to tell her that it wasn't her fault, that she probably didn't know what she was getting into in her past life. The gods themselves have said so- that she had done it because she was manipulated. She did nothing wrong and yet Atem knew saying those would only fall to deaf ears.

Atem could only blame himself for it. Leaving her without protection had cost them this fate.

"The Lady of Flame: Sekhmet." Atem snapped to reality at the voice behind him, enough to make him turn and face an older woman dressed in a plain white long-sleeved blouse and tucked into a pair of black slacks. Her hair was wavy, tied into a high ponytail, the color dark as obsidian.

She looked to be about Yugi's mother's age, her skin color that was almost identical to his told him that she wasn't born in this part of the globe.

Atem noticed her smile falter a bit before tilting her head, the Pharaoh himself realizing that he had probably been staring at her for far too long.

Coughing to regain his composure, he tried his best to utter a decent response but failed to properly articulate his thoughts out loud. "E-excuse me?"

"The papyrus you were observing." The woman gestured to the writings encased in a glass with a jut of her chin. "You had an intense look in your eye so I assumed you were probably wondering what's written on it."

It took Atem a second to absorb the woman's words, his eyes suddenly widening when he realized what the woman had said. "I'm sorry but I didn't properly hear the the first words you said. Could you please repeat them to me?" He asked her, hoping his lack of attention to her prior words didn't make him look rude.

Fortunately, the woman didn't seem to mind repeating her statement, her gaze leaving his to turn once again back to the set of scriptures inside the display case.

"The Lady of Flame: Sekhmet. The scripture behind you is a set of prayers written by temple priests to Sekhmet, asking for her blessing." The woman explained, her hand then pointing to a stone slab to which Atem followed its direction. "Above the scripture is another slab found by diggers at a derelict temple in Memphis. It depicts Sekhmet carrying the scepter made of papyrus and the ankh of life."

Atem's eyes remained glued on the design etched upon the slab, the design obviously reminiscent to that of a duel monster's card. Considering that Ishizu and Marik had explained that they would bring whatever clue they could find in Egypt to Japan, Atem concluded that this could be one of those artifacts that the elder Ishtar sibling was to discuss back at the game shop.

 _'Seek the soul whose life has been protected by the presence of Sekhmet...'_ Those were the gods words. Atem couldn't help but wonder if Pegasus had indeed created a card based on this carving.

If so, then chances are that its holder is the soul they were looking for.

"Masika! There you are." Atem followed the woman's shift in gaze to the source of the voice that was presumably calling for her.

A man, who looked identical to the woman, was waving from across the room with a wide smile of relief on his face. Atem easily identified them as twins, the only difference being the expression each one exhibited upon seeing each other. While the man looked rather happy, the woman held an almost forced smile that didn't really reach her eyes.

Atem took that as his cue to proceed on over to the next part of the exhibit, the momentary distraction the woman provided only served to make him recall his own prior thoughts about Meikou and the curse she had put them on.

\- o - o - o -

Mother was nowhere to be found when we entered the office.

Typical of uncle, every time mother wasn't where she had last told him, he'd suddenly start worrying. Every common sense would be thrown out the window, even going so far as to leave me here before dashing out to locate mother. Television shows and cartoons made it look hilarious and endearing but in reality- it was just downright smothering to the person subjected to it.

The spacious office mother owned was reserved to no one else but her. Then again, uncle did mention that each curator had their own offices within the building.

A lone desk made of some sort of hard wood was situated in the center of the square-shaped office, the papers on them neatly stacked and assorted according to whatever order mother preferred them to be in. Behind the desk were two wooden shelves positioned on each side of it, each shelf filled to the end with books of which mostly were about Ancient Egypt and the like.

The huge window behind the desk overlooked a tree that decently covered the window to prevent too much of the sun's hot rays from getting in, the curtains colored in deep crimson were tied back by golden tassels to at least let some light in.

Overall, the room was simple and neat, something mother would obviously own considering how minimalistic she is.

It took me about ten minutes to fully explore the room before realizing that neither of the two would be returning anytime soo and decided to leave the premises to meet them halfway.

If they were going to do this to me, they should've just left me to explore the museum on my own. Better yet, they didn't have to invite me so that I could've spent more time at the game shop. While it's true that Yugi looked like he had important errands to do, that didn't mean that he was the only reason I wanted to stay. The shop was overflowing with Duel Monster cards, I could stay there the whole day and never get bored.

Closing the office behind me, I gave an exasperated sigh at the thought of that missed opportunity and proceeded to make my way to the first floor.

I gave a quick wave to the assistant eyeing me from the desk outside my mother's office, a curt nod her only reply before returning her gaze to the computer screen in front of her.

I then shifted my messenger bag to the other side of my shoulder as I made my way down, hoping to let my right shoulder rest from the slightly heavy bag I was carrying. If I had known this was going to happen then I never should have brought my reviewers and laptop with me.

Leaving it in the office is a no-go, the old dark brown bag my source of comfort and ease whenever I went out. It just didn't feel right with me to walk around town without it. It was only when I made it to the stairs that I realized I could have just left the unnecessary contents at mother's office, the idea making me groan when I realized if I did then I would have to walk back to the office, pull them out, and deposit then on the low coffee table by the door.

It was a tempting thought but then again what would be the point if I was going to come back for it and put them back in the bag again?

"Nevermind." I reply to myself in defeat as I descended the stairs.

The moment I reached the final step of the grand staircase that led down to the first floor, I decided to lift my head to scan the crowd for my mother and uncle.

Several children were gathered near the dinosaur exhibit, their matching uniforms reminding me that there was a field trip going on. The desk was filled with people asking for assistance, the two employees stationed there were running around like headless chickens as they tried to cater to all the visitors.

I slipped carefully into the crowd afterwards, keeping my eyes out for my mother. It was at that moment that I decided to turn my head to the left, failing to realize in time that I was walking straight towards someone.

The impact was instantaneous, the loud thud of my butt painfully greeting the marble floor making me whimper in pain.

"Are you okay?" The voice asked me, prompting me to slowly open my nearly teary eyes-

Only for time to stop when my view met the color of sharp royal purple eyes.

\- o - o - o -

 _The sky was cloudless and hot, the arid heat of the desert beating down on the scorching ground._

 _My skin glistened with sweat as my brother and I fled to the shades, an impish smile on my lips when I jumped over a branch and intentionally failed to alert him._

 _A loud crack resounded in the area followed by a crash and faint groan. "No fair!" I could hear my brother groan in pain._

 _I skidded to a halt when I made it to the banks of the Nile, a victorious smile on my face when I returned my gaze to the shrubbery that rustled and revealed my brother's dirt covered form. His eyes were glaring daggers at me, the sight only serving to amuse me._

 _"You cheated!" He accused to which I shook my head while lifting my pointer finger and wagging it left and right._

 _"I would never, dear brother. You just reacted too late to notice the branch sticking out." I defended playfully, knowing he'd never believe me._

 _When our parents had told us that father would be going to the royal capital, my brother and I couldn't sit still from excitement. After all, it was extremely rare that we ever left our hometown, the trip too expensive for us to afford. It was only when father's master decided to depart to the capital to trade his goods did my brother and I put our plan into motion._

 _The trip would take at least five hours due to the large caravan that father's master brought with him. I'm currently nine now and my brother eight- our physique was enough to help us hide well inside the large wooden cage that contained the chickens._

 _It was easy to slip away when we arrived at the capital. The town center was completely filled with traders and villagers alike, the prosperity of the masses blessed directly by the Pharoah himself. It was his direct territory, so those who lived here were certainly more fortunate than us who lived in the small villages far from the royal capital._

 _We had at least an hour to look around before the caravan would leave for the village. My brother and I took that opportunity to explore the banks of the Nile that overlooked the royal palace._

 _The sight was majestic. No words could describe its beauty and grandeur. While the walls did cover most of the sight, just the length and distance of those huge structures were enough to demonstrate the power that radiated from the Pharaoh's home._

 _The artworks at home could never give it justice. To see it personally myself nearly steals my breath away._

 _"Do you think we'll ever see what's beyond those walls, sister?" My brother finally speaks, our prior argument forgiven and forgotten. His eyes mirrored my own entranced ones at the divine presence the palace blessed us with._

 _"Maybe." I couldn't help but give a rueful smile, the reality dawning on me. "Maybe if father's master permits it. After all, only the best builders are chosen to design the Pharaoh's palace."_

 _"I'll make sure to do my best then. Once I succeed father and they see what I can do- they'll obviously let me join the master builders. If that happens, I'll take you with me." My brother passes me that hopeful and toothy grin, a chuckle escaping my lips as I ruffled his hair to hide the embarrassment radiating off my cheeks._

 _"I'm sure you will... I'm sure you will."_

\- o - o - o -

 _Atem didn't know this memory._

 _He was seated in a room that smelled of papyrus and charcoal-based ink. Before him was a huge piece of parchment, unrolled and filled half-way with writings about the weather and predictions of the following rains._

 _He lifted his hands and noticed that they were far smaller than usual, this memory- he theorized- must have happened during his childhood. A shuffle closing in on him prompted him to immediately lift his head, his eyes widening at the sight of Meikou- no, Nephthys- entering the room that he now assumed was the royal library._

 _While it's true he had memories of Nephthys being his childhood friend, this was the first time he would experience that childhood memory in finer detail. She looked completely different compared to the confident woman he saw her as in his much later memories, her long wig obviously weighing her down as her small shoulders tried their best to stand straight and regal._

 _Her eyes were shy and nervous, Atem seeing the shy Meikou in her as compared to confident and regal Nephthys. Her small hands were hidden behind her back, her eyes darting around the library suspiciously before finally speaking. "Is Mahad here?"_

 _It took Atem seconds to register her question, his mind still reeling from the memory unfolding before him. Supposedly, his name was meant to return to him his identity- that meant, included his memories. Yet, this certain time and event eluded his mind, baffling him as to the reason why he was shown this specific memory. What did it entail? Did it have any significance as to why Nephthys did what she did 1,000 years ago?_

 _"A-Atem?"_

 _Atem shook his head, trying his best to compose himself before her. Of course, he had forgotten that this memory was like all the others, his actions unknowingly affecting how things transpired. If he hoped to get answers, then he had to be careful in his actions._

 _His deep royal purple eyes scanned the vicinity in one sweep, Mahad's familiar form nowhere to be found. Turning to Nephthys, he gave her a light shake of the head and spoke. "No, he appears to have left the premises."_

 _Nephthys sighed in relief at that reply before looking behind her and then moving her hands forward. Atem watched with curiosity as she held before him a wrapped cloth, her lithe hands untangling it to reveal a loaf of bread and a clay container._

 _"I overheard from Mana that you were punished again for escaping your studies. I'm sure you're getting hungry since his Majesty forbade you from eating with us until you finished the report he tasked you with." She offered with a small smile, placing the cloth on the table before opening the container that was filled with sweet honey._

 _"You didn't have to." Atem shook his head, earning him a frown from the little girl. "If they had caught you then you'd be punished too."_

 _The very similarity that Meikou and Nephthys shared was their willingness to put their lives on the line for others. It was probably what drew Atem to her in the first place. An undying loyalty to him and the whole kingdom of Egypt. By not consenting to her wish for him to eat, he hoped his father would be lenient with her should they be caught._

 _"That is- if she gets caught." Both Atem and Meikou nearly jumped from that additional voice that joined them, a slight haughtiness in the tone of their voice that showed their confidence in their words._

 _Atem's eyes moved away from Meikou to face the figure that entered the library, narrow dark turquoise eyes meeting his own purple ones. Her dark brown hair was styled in a wavy yet jagged bob cut that reached until her neck, her skin a shade darker than Nephthys'. She was dressed in a pale long-sleeved linen dress that reached probably an inch above her knees, a simple rope serving as a form of belt._

 _"K-Keturah! Thank goodness it is you." Nephthys heaved a sigh of relief, earning her a light chuckle from the person named Keturah._

 _Atem continued to scrutinize the said woman as she made her way to their side of the room, her face a complete mystery to him._

 _Judging by Nephthys' way of addressing her, this person was obviously someone she knew well enough to be comfortable around with. In Atem's memories, he and Nephthys were an inseparable pair since the day she moved to the royal palace. If such were the case, then it would stand to reason that he should know this Keturah person well enough not to forget her._

 _Yet, to his confusion, her name and face were completely foreign to him._

 _"What's wrong, my prince? You look as if you've seen a ghost." Keturah flashed her teeth at him, a teasing tone that earned her a reprimanding look from Nephthys._

 _"You scared us, Keturah! I thought for sure that we were caught."_

 _"Fret not, my lady." Keturah assured her with a ruffle to her head, the action earning her a scowl of protest from Nephthys when the wig she wore went slightly askew from the action. "I told them that you retired to your chambers for an afternoon rest. The head servant is my close friend so she shall vouch for you and me."_

 _Atem watched the banter between the two girls, his mind trying to wrack up any explanation for this hazy memory. The gods had told them that Nephthys had thrown away her memories as payment for the curse while the wandering soul lost their own memories due to the number of reincarnations they took without the blessings of Osiris._

 _What if the curse Nephthys had created also affected his memories as well? After all, he was bound to her fate because of her curse. It's possible he too could have been forced to give up something as payment as well._

 _If so- then could this be one of those memories that was unknowingly taken from him as payment?_

 _"You should eat, my prince." Keturah's voice snapped him from his contemplating, her tone almost soft- a complete opposite to her prior mischievous ones. "You still have a whole day ahead of you."_

 _Atem watched as she bowed before the two and turned to leave after giving her assurance that they were safe, her figure moving with an almost silent manner as if she were gliding. The moment she had turned and vanished from the corner of the room, that was when his vision had tilted- Nephthys' voice almost garbled as he did his best to decipher her words._

 _Atem could only close his eyes at the headache-inducing sight, the darkness taking over before he completely lost consciousness._

 **-To Be Continued-**


End file.
